It's probably a smart casting move that they chose him. He's done combat in film before, so it could be an easier training process for him, so he could be prepared faster for when it comes time to film him.

I insist!.... hot dwarves!... actually i thought at first O'Gorman was abtou to play Thranduil and Lee Fili !.... not the other way around!!!!..... :O :: All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you ::

When the casting first began for the lead roles in The Hobbit, I had my misgivings about some of the actors selected for the dwarf roles and Bilbo Baggins. As The Hobbit has gone into full swing with filming and regular updates appearing on different websites and forums this has silenced my doubts.

Peter made the right choices back then, and I will agree with his choosing of Dean and Lee to take on the roles of Fili and Thranduil respectively.

All the best to Dean, you will have no problems fitting into the role of Fili. I have never heard of Lee Pace before this...but he does seem to have the looks and the physique to portray a character like Thranduil.

I have a copy of THE FALL but have yet to watch it, might dig it out and give it a look today... Glad they cast Fili so quickly, i'm guessing this guy was there number two choice... The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed

I was almost right, I guessed Fili would be recast by Friday, and instead, it was Saturday. Oh well.

I liked O'Gorman in Young Hercules and know he's done lots of stunt fighting before so he should be able to jump right in. In fact, he had a black belt by the time he was 10, so he's had lots of fight training and will probably get to be a featured fighter in the films.

As for Lee, loved him in Pushing Daisies (such an adorably quirky show) and Mrs. Pettigrew lives for a Day. Need to see The Fall, always intended to see it in the theaters, but then it wasn't out that long, so I guess it's Netflix for me right now. He's so tall and lean, and he's got a really mellow delivery most of the time, so I'm guessing he'll have no problems with playing a monarch. Peace, Love and Rock & Roll,

"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.

It's difficult for me to get excited about the casting of a couple of actors whom I've neither seen nor heard of – they would not be my first choices at all. I'm sure they'll do a capable job (Peter Jackson has generally chosen appropriate actors in the past), but as with the countless other announcements of 'unknown' actors for these films I find myself feeling a little disappointed.

I remember saying that about 99% of the actors in LotR, with the exception of Elijah, Sean Astin, and Ian Holm. I even remember thinking that there was no way Sir Ian McKellen would be any good because I had never heard of him before X-Men and LotR. It's clear that at this point, PJ casts based on how well actors read for the parts and not by familiarity or fame. He could get anybody he wants considering the high-profile nature of this production. Honestly, I'm glad they're not going the Harry Potter route, and trying to get every big named actor they can, it ruins the illusion for me. "I'm just a happy camper! Rockin' and a-rollin!"

<I was almost right, I guessed Fili would be recast by Friday, and instead, it was Saturday. Oh well.>

As stated elsewhere, I didn't think PJ would announce Fili's replacement so quickly. I had imagined he'd give a new actor in that role a bit of 'seasoning' time before making it official to be doubly sure that there'd not need to be a replacement replacement later.

I suppose it's not all that likely for actors to drop out after accepting a role -- especially in such a high-profile movie -- so I suppose that means two successive actors having to quit would be particularly unlikely.

I notice he's a New Zealand actor. Before he was announced I was thinking about the logistics involved in casting another British or American actor, who would have to be able to move to New Zealand (and stay for a long time) with basically zero notice. With the unusual situation of Fili's emergency recasting, do you think the team were pretty much forced to only consider local talent? * crunch *

It's kinda difficult to cast only superstars/world wide known actors for a big franchise project. Usually these types of movies are mostly used to "introduce" actors into the mainstream arena. And not the other way around.

Health issues can be personal issues if you don't want to disclose details. Rob sent a message on twitter to a friend saying it was a health issue. The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed